Respiratory Therapy Research Paper

Respiratory Therapy
Eric S. Coolong
CCSD
RES205
July 21, 2014
Maura Sommers

Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory therapist will deal with multiple different types of pulmonary diseases ranging from obstructive to restrictive diseases. Over the last few months we have learned how to assess and treat these patients. Today we will discuss four acute conditions where bronchial hygiene is indicated. Compare the types of bronchial hygiene therapy for chronic lung conditions. Three types of diseases that myself as a respiratory therapist will see frequently on a regular basis. Respiratory therapy is constantly changing as doe’s most medical fields with the advancement of technology and the better understanding of pulmonary diseases.
Bronchial
Indications for bronchial hygiene therapy for acute conditions are copious secretions 25-30 ml/day, acute respiratory failure with retained secretions, acute lobar atelectasis, and V/Q abnormalities caused by unilateral lung disease. Chronic conditions that indicate therapy are cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, ciliary dyskinetic syndromes, and chronic bronchitis. First we must assess the need for bronchial hygiene therapy. We do this by looking at the patient’s history, presence of artificial airway, CXR, results of PFT, age, and any type of surgery the patient has under gone. We also look at the patient’s appearance such as posture, breathing pattern, vital signs, general physical appearance. There are five general approaches to bronchial hygiene therapy. The first approach is postural drainage. Postural drainage uses gravity to clear retained secretions there are positions the patient can be put in to effectively drain secrections. Some positions are for anterior upper segments the patient is sitting up with a pillow under their knees. A second position is right lateral segment the patient is lying on their left side with their legs elevated eighteen inches. There are many other postural position a patient can be put in these are just a couple examples. Assessing the effect of postural drainage the respiratory therapist looks at the change in sputum production, change in
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